Hertz Will Add 65,000 Polestar 2 EVs To Its Fleet Over Five Years

It was an interesting move when Hertz decided to grow its electric vehicle fleet by buying thousands of Tesla Model 3s without any sort of special deal with the automaker, but the rental car company has seemingly learned its lesson. Polestar and Hertz have announced a strategic partnership to furnish airport rental lots with up to 65,000 new Polestar 2 all-electric sedans over the next five years, bolstering the growing EV fleet EVs Hertz has already been building.

“Polestar is committed to accelerating the move to electric mobility with a fascinating and innovative product portfolio,” said Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath. “We are delighted that Hertz has chosen Polestar as a strategic partner on their road to electrification. The partnership with a global pioneer like Hertz will bring the amazing experience of driving an electric car to a wider audience, satisfying a broad variety of our mutual customers’ short- and longer-term mobility requirements. For many of them it may be the first time they have driven an EV, and it will be a Polestar.”

“We are excited to partner with Polestar and look forward to introducing their premium EV products into our retail and rideshare fleets,” said Stephen Scherr, Hertz CEO. When Hertz announced its plans to buy 100,000 Model 3s, it was said to make up more than 20 percent of its total global vehicle fleet, which will now grow a little bigger. Those 65,000 new EVs will be produced and supplied to Hertz over the five-year period, and the deal may include future models Polestar has yet to publicly reveal yet, including a small crossover called the Polestar 3. Polestar had no further comment on which trims Hertz will allocate at this point.

European Hertz lots will get the new Polestars first this spring, with the car joining North American and Australian fleets in late 2022. As far as charging infrastructure, Hertz previously claimed it would be installing a “combination of Level 2 (AC chargers) and DC fast charging in approximately 65 markets by the end of 2022 and more than 100 markets by the end of 2023,” to keep its new EV fleet adequately juiced up.

A multi-year deal is probably welcome for Polestar right now, as it’s a brand new car company trying to get established with just one vehicle in its lineup actually on sale right now. Polestar says its volume tripled last year, and is anticipated to double this year, separate from the Hertz deal, with a global production volume of up to 290,000 vehicles annually expected by 2025.

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